AWOL
by Inks Inc
Summary: "Gibbs closed his eyes slowly. He was rapidly being filled with the all too familiar rage that DiNozzo Senior engendered in him. In many ways, with Tim being younger and slightly more…emotionally attuned than Tony, Admiral McGee made him even angrier." When Tim absconds from a routine operation, Gibbs is unimpressed. But things are far from black and white. Warning: Brief Spanking.


"Where where you?" Gibbs bellowed, his fury spraying into Tim's face without compunction. "I told you to guard the door, and yet when I came out said door…you were nowhere to be seen. Do you mind filling me in where you decided to wander off to? I know I'm just your boss, but I'd really _appreciate_ it." He glowered. "If you don't mind of course." Tim winced heavily. He had known that his actions would draw considerable fire if discovered. But he'd been hoping to prevent the flames by returning to his post in time. Alas, it wasn't to be. He floundered for a moment, desperately grateful at least that they were alone at the scene. The others had tactfully left them to it, which was sweet, but also increased the chances that they'd never find his body.

"Boss, I can explain, I-"

Gibbs spluttered like the largest beached whale in the Caribbean.

"Oh you can, can you? You think there's some sort of miraculous explanation for this? You think I'm going to be thrilled by the fact that you've blatantly disobeyed me? Because," he spread his arms wide, sarcasm drooling from every pore, "Go ahead. By all means, impress me." Tim blanched and felt his banana smoothie trundle dangerously in his stomach. Sarcasm was bad. Sarcasm was a by product of nuclear level pissed off-ness. He took in a deep, soothing breath. He took comfort in the fact that the door had been well guarded by Tony and Ziva and that there had been no threat to the routine operation by him absconding for twenty minutes or so. But he knew Gibbs didn't feel that same comfort and that he had some serious explaining to do.

"My father was here. In town, I mean."

Gibbs opened his mouth to roar some more, but the quiet words trickled through his brain just in time. "I…what?" he queried quietly, before recovering. "What does that have to do with the fact that I told you to guard the door?" Trying and failing to suppress the blush that spread across his cheeks, Tim looked to the ground. "I knew he was coming to town and I had called…to meet, you know? But uhh…he didn't take any of my calls or return them. So I thought maybe I had the wrong number or something. I knew he was going to be at briefing downtown, not far from here. He's at the Conway. Five minutes tops. I didn't think I was going to get to see him, but then we got the call about this place. I thought…I thought I could just run over and arrange a time to meet with him later for dinner…and get back before you knew I was gone…"

His face flushed deeper as he heard his own voice in an oddly magnified way.

"But uhh…it turns out I didn't have the wrong number after all. And I need to make different dinner plans."

Gibbs stared silently for a moment, feeling slightly guilty for his outburst. He should have listened to Tim before he'd gone off on him. The kid never disobeyed, well…he rarely disobeyed. When he did…there was generally an understandable explanation. He took a deep breath. The subject of either Tony or Tim's fathers always sent a fire of rage lancing through his gut, but he was always careful to hide it from the boys. "Is he too busy? With these…meetings and such? Maybe you can arrange another time to have dinner?" he suggested gruffly, "I'll green light the time off."

Tim didn't look up, but the blush was replaced with an ashen hue of rejection.

"No," he answered softly, "He isn't too busy. He just…doesn't want to."

Gibbs closed his eyes slowly. He was rapidly being filled with the all too familiar rage that DiNozzo Senior engendered in him. In many ways, with Tim being younger and slightly more…emotionally attuned than Tony, Admiral McGee made him even angrier. Neither said anything for a moment as a gentle breeze ruffled between them. Gibbs counted slowly to ten before he reacted any further.

Realising they were completely alone, he gently reached out. Taking McGee by the upper arm, he quickly turned him to his side. The fiery flurry of swats he rained down on the kid's prone backside sounded like wildfire in the balmy air and Tim's muted yelp rang out with them. Releasing him as carefully as he had held him, Gibbs placed a hand on a wincing McGee's shoulder. "You will never do that to me again, do you understand me? I didn't know what had happened when I came out and you were gone. I thought…" he trailed off, pushing some grizzly images from his mind. "I need to know where you are, where all of you are, at all times. I can't do my job otherwise. There are no excuses, unless life or death, for disobeying me in the field. You will never do it again. Is that clear?"

Tim nodded silently, his eyes swimming with regret.

Gibbs appraised him for a moment, before acting on instinct.

The hug was tight and he sighed into the sandy brown hair. Usually such embraces were the afterthought of a much more intense chastisement, when Gibbs was more comfortable with tactile displays. But one look at the pure rejection in the kid's eyes and he was holding him tight. Tim resisted for a moment, thrown by the affection, before sighing and melting into Gibbs' chest. His gut was alight with hurt, pure and raw, but the simple embrace dampened the purity a little. He smiled ruefully when he was released, reaching back to rub some of the sting out of his butt.

"Sorry Boss, won't happen again."

Gibbs nodded simply.

"I know."

He hesitated, but just for a second.

"Dinner's at my place tonight. Seven pm. You want some of that ridiculous meringue crap for desert, and you bring it yourself. You understand?"

Tim stared before rapidly shaking his head. He didn't need a pity party.

"Boss…you don't have to-"

Gibbs snorted like a wounded dragon.

"Do I need to turn you to the side again?"

McGee chewed his lip for a moment, before smiling the peaceful smile that Gibbs secretly loved. "Sure," he agreed, "I'll bring some roulade, you'll love it." Grimacing, the long suffering Jethro nodded in peaceable agreement. If it made the kid feel better, he'd eat his horrendously fancy desserts and smile about it. There was silence for a moment, as each man dealt with his own thoughts before McGee broke it.

"Will I invite Tony and the girls? They love roulade."

Gibbs considered only for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Nah, I think they have plans of their own tonight."

Truth be told, that was a lie. He had no idea what their plans were or weren't. But he felt instinctively that Tim needed a little one-on-one attention. Nodding in conclusion, he nudged the kid in the direction of the car. "Right, get back to work. I want pitch perfect reports on my desk before end of day today, or today will be your last day. We clear?"

Repressing an eye roll, Tim nodded.

"Clear."

Tossing the keys at the kid who caught them out of instinct, Gibbs threw a hand to the car. "You go on, I got to finish up with one more witness here and he'll only talk to me alone. I'll be back in half an hour, and you tell Tony that if I walk in there and he's playing that damn game on his phone he's going to lose it." Snorting at the accuracy of that statement, Tim nodded and slipped into the car. Watching him leave, Gibbs waited until the car had fully rounded a corner before walking out from the scene slowly himself.

The first guy he saw, he stopped with a courteous half smile.

"Can you tell me how to get to the Conway from here?"

…..

A/N: Break from the drudgery of cv/resume proofing!

….


End file.
